Featured Niching Case Study: Carrie Hoffman

On this page I’m sharing an exceptionally strong Niching Case Study each month. It’ll be up here for just a month before it’s replaced by another example, so take a few minutes to read through all the thoughtful, useful feedback and perspectives on this niche to see why and how it works.

The niche originated as an entry in my Marketing for Hippies’So You Think You Can Niche? Contest, which I’ve held annually since 2013. The parameters of the contest were to provide one’s niche in 140 characters or less (that’s the length of a Tweet!) and present it in meme-format. I gave each entry my rating from 1-10 (1 being unclear and 10 being crystal clear) along with my feedback on each niche. Contest participants were also invited to give one another’s niches a rating and provide any constructive thoughts on how the niches could be clarified.

To gain access to the full vault of over 200 Niching Case Studies and see examples of weak, medium-strength and solid niches, consider joining the Niching Homestudy Course. The Niching Case Study Vault is one the amazing learning tools to which you’ll gain lifetime access.

Enjoy this sample!

We run yoga and adventure retreats around the world for people in addiction recovery, inspiring them to live bigger, more purposeful lives!

Tad’s Rating:

10/10

Contest Rating:

8.5/10

Average Rating:

9.5/10

Tad’s Comments:

I give this a 10. This is very clear. “People in addiction recovery” says it all. And it’s ‘yoga and adventure retreats’ as a way of helping them. And then you name the result of them living a “bigger, more purposeful life”. Beautiful. I totally get who this is for and what you offer. Bravo and thank you for putting this out there.

Niching Contest Participant Comments:

8/10: I like it, but also struggle with the word “bigger.” I think it might be a little more impactful if the wording were a little tighter. Something like, “Through our worldwide yoga and adventure retreats we inspire those in addiction recovery to live more purposeful lives”

7/10: I think the first part of your niche description is strong. “Live bigger” might be a catch phrase that’s widely used within certain professions and circles, but may be unclear to your ideal client. I’d like to see you focus in a little more deeply and think about the biggest benefit to living bigger. Then communicate that benefit in your niche statement. Let your ideal client know, without guessing, what she or he will take away from this experience, as specifically as possible.

8/10: This is great! Very clear. I wasn’t 100% sure how you meant “bigger” which is the only reason I didn’t score it higher. Nice job!

6/10: It is clear, but I wonder if yoga and adventure are a strong enough medicine for people in addiction recovery, I’m not sure how it is done, so want to know more.

Lovely, the “who” is very clear. I’m curious if there are more specific benefits and results from your retreats. Bigger in what way? Reaching/impacting more people? Being able to contribute to their families, communities, workplaces?

Great description of your specific niche! Well done! Not so convinced that the outcomes (bigger . . .) speaks to what people in recovery are looking for!

9/10: It definitely is very clear about who it helps and what you do. I would have given it a 10 except for the word “bigger.” I’m not quite sure what is meant by “a bigger life” but perhaps something like “meaningful” or “happier” or “healthier” would work better.

7/10: Clear and concise. Overall good job.

9/10: This makes total sense . . . One little niggle: shouldn’t “bigger” go with the adventures, rather than the lives? Maybe the wording needs a little re-ordering.

9/10: This tells me what you do and precisely who you do it for, but you lost me at “bigger.” What does it mean to live a bigger life? I think you could remove “bigger” and just leave it at “inspiring them to live more purposeful lives” and it would have been a 10 for me. Also, I’m not a big fan of exclamation marks in advertising. They can come across as cheesy or even condescending, which you want to avoid when you’re dealing with a sensitive subject such as addiction. Well done!

9/10: It is clear what you do, who you do it for, and what you promise they will gain from it.

8/10: It caught my attention!

8/10: I like this and feel drawn to it but I would want to know more about what the adventure aspect entails. Yoga is crystal clear to me but adventure not as much and I’m curious as to how the two are combined. People in addiction recovery is super clear and

I like the idea of living bigger and more purposeful lives. I think if I could get a bit more detail on the adventure side of this.